This was a good book, even if I did have to stop every ten pages or so to shake my fist in the air and yell "EMMA!!! QUIT MEDDLING!!!". The parts when she wasn't meddling were indubitably (yes, I like that word) my favorite.
As you can see from the cover picture, I actually read a manga adaptation, not the real thing. The series of adaptations is very faithful to the originals, though, so I feel comfortable reviewing this as the actual story. (Also, manga reads a lot quicker, because you don't have to spend eons describing the dance or someone's dress, you can show it.)
I really, really, really hate Mrs. Elton. The art they have for her doesn't exactly help (it's kind of ugly), but she somehow manages to be the most exact blend of condescending and egotistical to just be the most unlikable character in the history of the universe.
Mr. Woodhouse, on the other hand, was very awesome and funny. I alternated between two ways of reading him: 1) as a severe hypochondriac, and 2) as someone who genuinely cares about other people's health (but he's still a hypochondriac). I don't know which of them Austen intended. Option 1 is funnier, but option 2 is nicer, I think.
My only major disappointment (and really, this is irrational) is that I watched the movie version first, so two lines ("Be careful! The baby! It might have an infection", said by Mr. Woodhouse; and "We know nothing about her parents. They may have been pirates!", said by Emma) aren't in the real thing. Actually, they might be, but they got cut in the manga adaptation, because you can only fit so much dialogue in a manga before the pages become walls of text.
Emma gets four stars, basically meaning that I liked it despite its faults.
Favorite lines:
Frank Churchill: "[Emma] requests that you each say something entertaining, in a general way. One very clever thing, or three dull things if you cannot be clever." [Note: Emma actually didn't request that, it was Frank's idea.)
Miss Bates: "Oh! Very well, I can manage that. I shall be sure to say three dull things as soon as I open my mouth."
Pages 231-232. (It's so true, though. And she's the one making the joke, which makes it funnier until Emma immediately ruins it. Badly done, Emma!)
Well done again, Sam! You have such a fun way of seeing things. I've never actually read a Manga adaptation of something, but it looks like a much less "painful" way of reading some things, at least!!! Although Emma is not painful in any version.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It definitely takes less time, so in that sense it might be "less painful".
DeleteI disagree slightly with "Emma is not painful in any version", as it was definitely slightly painful for me to read her meddling in things and just be like "no, stop that, gahhhhhh."
This is actually Grandpa's comment: Having never read any of Jane Austen's books, I really am at a disadvantage. I never saw the movies, either. But, Jane Austen is a world-renowned authoress. From your description I can see why one might get aggravated. Perhaps it was deliberately written from the perspective of Jane Austen's own feelings toward Emma. Maybe she had greater hopes for Emma, but just didn't get it to develop as she wanted. A person does get a somewhat perhaps distorted picture on Emma.
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job of writing a review of it, and I'm sure it will make you appreciate all the more the difficulties an author goes through in order to get down on paper the characters she develops. Keep up the good work!
Grandpa
Thank you! As regards your comment on perspective, that's actually a very good idea. I agree, perhaps Austen was unable to develop Emma as much as she wanted.
DeleteI do in fact appreciate the difficulties in developing characters, as I have had trouble myself with this exact problem in my own writing.